Dead, Naturally
by Rinoneechan17
Summary: Euphie Franco only wants to keep her sister and her son safe. Then she unexpectedly saves the life of a handsome sheriff's deputy who's been in a coma. Now, she must deal with keeping her family alive...and keeping her feelings for a married man at bay. RickXOC, DarylXOC, Rated M for gore, language, and lemons.


**chapter 1 (i've been working on this for some time, I hope ya'll like it!)**

**disclaimer: i do not own the walking dead  
**

**Rated M for language, gore violence, and lemons  
**

**enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**King County, Georgia, July 15...  
**

Euphie Franco stalked through the abandoned hospital. She held a M1911 pistol in her hands, her arms outstretched and ready to aim. She had her long raven black hair up in a high ponytail, and her pale gray eyes blazed with attention. She was petite and curvaceous despite her malnutrition. She wore jeans, Converse, and a simple gray t-shirt with a purple hoodie. She went down the hall, checking each room one by one, passing them if they were locked. She got to the nurse's station and riffled through the cabinets. She found extra batteries and matches. In a locked cabinet which she managed to pry open, she found several first aid kits. She had a drawstring backpack with and filled it up.

She kept going, checking more rooms but finding nothing worth taking. She peeked into another room when she heard a crash. Instinctively, she pointed her gun.

"Nurse! Help! Nurse! Help!"

Euphie ran to a room that had a hospital bed pushed up against it. She shoved it aside, causing the wheels to screech. She pushed the door open and immediately aimed her gun at the bed in the room, but found it empty. On the floor, was a pale, handsome man in a hospital gown and boxers. Euphie approached cautiously, "Who are you? What're you doing here?"

"I...are you a nurse?" he asked, frowning.

"No," she snapped. "What's wrong with you? Why're you here?"

She noticed the bandage around his middle and she cocked her gun. "What's the bandage for? Huh? Answer me! Did you get bit?"

"Wh...what?" he asked. His voice was rough and scratchy.

"Did you get _bit_? Answer me, damn it."

"N-no...I...I was shot. Please," he begged. "I need help. Please."

Euphie stared at him, debating over whether to shoot or lower her gun. The man's blue eyes were full of pain and confusion. She blinked several times, trying to ignore this man's attractive features despite his helpless state. She silently cursed herself and placed her gun in the holster on her right thigh. She went to him and draped his arm over her shoulders to bring him to his feet.

"Water," he said. "I need water."

"Come on," she helped him walk to the bathroom. Thankfully, the water was still working. The man bent over and gulped as much water as he could from the faucet. Euphie glanced around, still alert. "We need to go."

He continued drinking. "Hey, you're gonna make yourself sick. Come on."

He stood up and gasped, panting from relief. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Euphie grabbed his arm and pulled him off the sink. "Come on. We need to go."

"Go where? Why?" he asked.

"Just come on."

She led him out of the room. The man stopped, surprised to see the hospital in such a destructed state. They reached the nurses station and Euphie pulled a flashlight out as well as her gun. "Here, you can man the flashlight. Come on."

They reached a T intersection. Euphie peeked around the left corner and sighed at finding the hallway empty. She noticed the man standing in front of the right-hand hallway doors. He was shaking with fear. Euphie snuck up behind him, seeing the half-eaten corpse of a woman on the other side of the doors. "What happened here?"

Euphie studied his horrified expression. "It's a long story. And we're not safe here. Let's go."

She led him towards the left-side hallway. Euphie ignored the bullet holes and bloody handprints on the wall, but the man stared at all of it, growing increasingly confused and paranoid. She turned left, but the man stopped in front of a set of doors that read **Don't Open, Dead Inside**. Something on the other side of the doors stirred. The chains rustled as something threw itself against the doors. The man stumbled back in fear and hobbled after Euphie. He caught up with her just as she opened the stairwell door. "Turn the flashlight on. It's pitch black in there."

He obeyed and followed her. The door closed and the man recoiled in disgust, "What...what is that smell?"

"You'll get used to it," she assured him and descended. "By the way, my name's Euphie."

"I'm Rick," he whispered, stepping carefully.

"Well, Rick...we better hurry if you want to live," she said absently as she opened the exit door. Rick shielded his eyes, turning away. Euphie took the flashlight from him and turned it off. "Come on."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. Rick slowly followed her down the steps to the ground. Euphie walked through the lot, but Rick paused. The entire back lot was filled with dead, some even piled up in trucks. Euphie ran through the lot entrance, making sure the coast was clear. She ran back to Rick, "Come on. I'm getting tired of telling you."

"All...all these people...," his eyes watered in fear.

"I'll explain later. Please, hurry," she grabbed his arm and made him walk a little faster.

**Suburban area...**

Euphie kept a watchful eye out. Rick stumbled a bit, but managed to keep himself up right. "Where are we...where are we going?"

"Some place safe," she said absently.

"There's someone over there," Rick pointed across the street.

"Where?" she demanded.

"There," he pointed. Euphie followed his gaze to a man walking around on someone's front lawn.

"Damn it," she aimed her gun and fired. The man's head snapped back from the impact, and he crumpled to the ground. Rick gasped in horror and backed away from Euphie.

"Rick, come on!" she stepped towards him, but he stumbled back and fell. "Dude, come on!"

"No...no!" he crawled onto someone's lawn. "You-you killed him!"

"Shut up," she snarled.

"No! NO!"

"You damn idiot!" she shoved his arms aside and slammed the butt of her gun against his forehead. Rick fell onto his side, his eyes rolling up inside his head as he passed out.

**Drakes' residence...**

Rick rolled his head to the side and slowly opened his eyes. He was resting against a pile of pillows on the wall. He was in a living room, the windows were covered with thick blankets and several candles were lit as well as old lanterns. Across the room, Euphie was serving food. She placed steaming bowls of chili in front of two others. A girl who was a splitting image of Euphie, same hair and eyes and everything. The other was a little boy who had Euphie's hair and skin, but blazing blue eyes instead of pale gray ones. Rick continued looking around, finding himself handcuffed to the stair rail.

"I changed your bandage."

Rick turned his attention to Euphie as she knelt down in front of him. "I also checked you for any bites, scratches...you're clean."

She reached out to him and he recoiled. "Hey, I'm just checking for a fever."

Cautiously, she placed her palm on his forehead. She nodded, satisfied and lowered her hand. She pulled a set of small keys from her pocket and rolled them around her hand. "Look, I don't care that you're suffering from an injury...if you try anything," she shook her head. "Don't make me regret saving your ass. I'd really hate to have to kill you."

She reached up and unlocked his cuffs. Rick pulled his hands to his chest, rubbing his wrists silently as Euphie walked back to the girl and little boy. Slowly, Rick wrapped a fleece blanket around himself and walked over to them as Euphie served him a bowl of chili then herself. "Eat up. It's the last two cans of chili we got."

Rick sat down and crossed his legs like the rest of them. The little boy stared at Rick, wide-eyed and cautious. Euphie tapped the boy's fork, "Eat, baby."

He tore his eyes away from Rick and began eating. Rick stared at his food then at Euphie. Without looking at him, she growled, "What?"

"You shot a man today."

"That wasn't a man," the girl scoffed.

"Dahlia, cierra la boca," Euphie scolded.

"Pero no era un hombre," she whined.

"You shot a man in the street, out front, a _man_," Rick emphasized, glaring disapprovingly.

"It was a Walker," she corrected. "Now, eat."

"You-"

"Eat."

Taken a back by her sternness, Rick reluctantly ate a spoonful of chili. After a long while, Euphie wiped her mouth and cleared her throat, "Rick, do you even know what's going on?"

"I woke up in the hospital today...then you found me. That's all I know."

"You remember all those dead people? The ones at the hospital?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, they were piled up in trucks-"

"No, I mean...the ones you heard behind the doors, remember?"

Rick glanced up in thought, shuddering at the memory. "You're saying there was dead people in there? They didn't sound dead."

"Oh, they did," she leaned closer. "We call them Walkers. See, a little over three months ago, the dead just...just started rising. It spreads by bite, even a scratch...the infection spreads throughout your body and the fever burns you out. You die. But...you don't stay dead for long."

"You know how insane that sounds?"

"Well, it's true. Why do you think I shot that man? Because he was a Walker," she said sternly. Rick absorbed her sincerity. He turned back to his food and ate another spoonful.

After dinner, Euphie put the little boy and Dahlia to sleep, covering them up with thick blankets as she dowsed the lanterns, leaving the candles to burn. She quietly tip-toed over to Rick where he sat on the couch, "Come with me. I wanna show you something."

He got up and followed her up the stairs. Euphie led him to the master bedroom. Rick entered and she was waiting by the window. She ushered him closer and he shuffled to her. Outside, were dozens of Walkers milling around aimlessly. One was repeatedly running into a light pole. Rick blinked, "Those are...?"

"Walkers, yeah."

Euphie sighed and sat down on the bed. "I've, uh...seen the turn happen."

Rick turned around to face her. "My boyfriend...he picked up my son, Grayson, at school," she gestured to the stairs, indicating the little boy. "And...he was attacked by the neighbors. He got bit. We left Macon together with Dahlia, my little sister."

She shook her head, rubbing her arms, "By nightfall, he died. Then...he sat up and came at me. I killed him. I had to."

"I'm sorry," he said.

Euphie shrugged if off, sighing. "What happened, happened. Nothing I can do about it," she paused to sigh. "Say, were you some criminal or something?"

"Huh?"

"You got shot, right?

"Oh, that. Yeah, I'm the deadliest you've ever met," he snorted, smirking. "No, I'm actually a sheriff's deputy."

Euphie nodded, "I'm a nurse...sort of."

"You're not registered?" he asked.

"Well, I was supposed to graduate from Wesleyan College back in May," she threw her hands up in defeat. "At least, that was the plan to go before the world went to hell."

Rick hobbled over and sat down next to her, "How old's your son? Grayson?"

"He's 6," she said, smiling awkwardly. "I had him when I was 16. Dahlia's 13."

"I have a son...Carl. He's 12."

Euphie glanced at him, "Where is he?"

"With his mother...I hope," Rick stared out the window, seeing the moon. "I hope."

**The next morning, July 16...**

Cautiously, Euphie opened the front door. Rick now wore jeans and a white t-shirt. He held a wood bat and police raid helmet with a face shield. "Are you sure they're dead? I have to ask once more."

"Yeah, they're dead," Euphie assured him. "Go for the head. Destroy the brain...they never get up again."

A walker rose from his resting place and stood up. He snarled at the sight of the living humans. Rick raised the bat and slammed it across the Walker's face twice before it went down. Rick slammed the bat down on the Walker's head then collapsed, holding his side. Euphie went to his side, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he assured her.

They reached Rick's house. He led the way to the living room, and began rummaging through the cabinets. Euphie, Dahlia, and Grayson stood in the middle of the room as Rick walked about the house. "They were here. My wife and son."

"How do you know?"

"All the framed photos on the wall are gone," he pointed to the empty space above the fireplace. "All the photo albums...they're gone."

Dahlia glanced at Rick, frowning in thought, "They're probably in Atlanta."

"Why there?" Rick asked.

"Refugee center," Euphie answered. "A huge one with plenty of supplies and weapons...at least, that's what they said before the broadcasts stopped. And there's also the Center for Disease Control. They said they're working on a cure."

"I have an idea," Rick muttered and went into the kitchen.

**Sheriff's Department...**

Rick led the group through the front of the building. Inside, everything looked untouched. Mail was still sitting in it's slots, old coffee was still sitting in the jug. He led them to the locker room where the showers were. He turned the knob and after a groan, water spurted out from the shower head. He turned the knob to hot and waited. After a moment, he shrugged, "It's warm. Closest we're gonna get, I bet. I'll let you ladies go first."

After showers, they gathered on the bench between the lockers. Dahlia was dressed in clean capris, a red tank top, and her dark blue hoodie. She finished towel-drying her hair and put it up in a high ponytail. Euphie was still in her towel, as well as Rick, and she was dressing Grayson. She ran pulled his shirt down then ran her fingers through his hair. "Good. All dressed. You look handsome, baby."

"Thank you, Mommy," Grayson smiled shyly.

"Go with Aunt Dahlia," she smiled back at him.

Grayson took Dahlia's hand and they left the locker room. Once they were gone, Euphie began towel-drying her hair. Rick unfolded his uniform, "Atlanta. Sounds like a good, safe place."

"I know. That's where we're headed," she stood up and slipped her panties on, the her jeans. "We've been here for about three days. It's time to move on."

Rick nodded in agreement, trying to avoid glancing at her. Euphie moved to the edge of the bench and dropped her towel. Rick absently glanced at her and noticed something. A scar ran down from her left shoulder blade to the middle of her back. Rick put his boxers on then his under shirt. He glanced back at the scar as Euphie snapped her bra in place. "Where'd that scar come from?"

Euphie adjusted her cami and sighed, "...my boyfriend. My dead boyfriend."

She glanced at him over her shoulder, he was staring intensely at the scar. Rick met her eyes, not a sense of pity in his gaze. He turned back to his clothes and put his trousers on. Euphie finished getting dressed and tied her wet hair up in a bun. She walked out of the locker room but stopped in the doorway, remembering something. She turned hurriedly to the locker room and turned the corner, running right into Rick. "Whoa, whoa," he grabbed her arms to steady her. "Easy there."

"Sorry," she whispered, realizing that she was pressed up against his chest. To avoid blushing, she took a step back. Rick held up her pistol, "You forgot this."

"Thanks," she took it, her finger brushing his.

Rick swallowed hard and walked past her, clearing his throat. Euphie rolled her eyes and checked the clip in her gun before walking back out. Dahlia and Grayson waited patiently as Rick unlocked the gun cabinet. Euphie grabbed the empty duffel bags and set them down on the floor. Dahlia carefully touched a rifle, "Can I learn to shoot? A real gun? Mama only let me use Bibi guns."

"Yeah, you need to learn," Euphie said, grabbing a shotgun. "But you need to learn to use it right."

"That's right. When you fire a gun, you gotta mean it," Rick touched Dahlia's shoulder. "Remember that."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"Mommy, when can I learn?" Grayson asked in a whiny voice.

"No te quejes," she snapped. "You're too young to handle a gun. Maybe a knife. I trust you with a bat or a crowbar, but...we'll see."

"Pack the ammunition," Rick ordered Dahlia. She and Grayson stuffed all the bullet packages into the duffel bags. They separated the guns evenly into each bag. Rick took one and Euphie took the other. Dahlia carried the other duffel of clothes and other supplies. Grayson carried his own backpack full of water and the last bit of food they have.

"We have to conserve ammunition. It goes up fast, especially during target practice," Rick informed, unlocking his patrol car. Dahlia helped Grayson into the car then shoved all the bags in back, then got in herself. Euphie hesitated before opening the door, "Rick, I...thank you. You know, for taking us with you. Not many people would do that."

"I get it," he nodded then shrugged. "You want to keep your boy and sister safe. If you think that sticking with me is best for them, then I respect your decision. When I find my family...I'll be doing the same...keeping them safe."

"I hope so, too," she said.

"Hope what?"

"I hope you find your family, too."

**Highway 85...**

Euphie glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Grayson and Dahlia sleeping on each other. Rick pulled the sun visor down and grabbed a photo, handing it to Euphie, "This is my family."

She took the photo, studying the faces. Rick was wearing a nice beige blazer and black tie. His wife was pretty, and his son gave a genuine, adorable smile. Euphie smiled, "Oh, no."

"What?"

"Your son, Carl...he's got a handsome smile. Dahlia will melt when she sees that," she handed the photo back.

Rick laughed, "You think so? I don't think Carl's ever been interested in girls...yet."

"Ah, well, my friend...Dahlia is lucky enough to have the Franco family's irresistible good looks," Euphie wiggled her eyebrows. "Carl might melt himself."

Rick glanced down at his dashboard, "Damn."

"What?"

"Running on empty."

Euphie leaned over, seeing the needle hovering over the E as well as the gas light coming on. "Pull over. Might as well start walking before the car's beyond saving."

He parked the car and placed the photo of his family in his chest pocket. Euphie got out and woke up a cranky Grayson and a drowsy Dahlia. Euphie carried Grayson on piggyback, the duffel bag hanging on her front. Rick took two and Dahlia carried the last one. After twenty minutes or so, Grayson was fully awaken and able to walk on his own. She moved the duffel bag to her side and held Grayson's hand as they kept walking. "How's your back?"

"It's fine," Euphie assured Rick. "I can handle his weight."

"You're stronger than you look."

"Sure am."

"Euphie, there's a house up there," Dahlia pointed.

A white ranch house sat solemnly in the middle of a field with a barn behind it. Rick and Euphie left the bags with Dahlia and Grayson, and Dahlia whipped out a crowbar, just in case as Euphie and Rick went up to the house. "Hello?" Rick called. "Police officer out here! Can we borrow some gas?"

Rick took his hat off, "Hello?"

He knocked on the door. Euphie went around the porch, peeking through the windows. She got to the side, and froze. "Rick."

He went to her and froze as well at the sight of the living room. Inside, a man was slouched on the armchair, the top of his head blown off and a shotgun in his hand. His wife was on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding her head. Rick stumbled back and hobbled off the porch. Euphie followed him to the small stone bench by the big oak tree. "Rick?"

He didn't answer.

Euphie knelt down in front of him, trying to meet his eyes which he avoided. "Rick, I-I know this is a lot to take in. But...this is the world now. Some people take the easy way out."

"I...I know," he whispered. "I know...never in my life, have I seen things like that. Never."

She nodded and grabbed his hand, "Rick, there's nothing we can do about it. We have to keep going."

After a long moment, he nodded. "Alright."

"Okay," she rubbed his arm affectionately and helped him stand up.

"Mommy!"

Euphie whipped her head to her right. "Grayson? Grayson!"

She took off running, following the sound of her son's voice. Rick was right behind her. They found Grayson and Dahlia by the horses ring, petting two beautiful horses. One was brown with a white stripe on his face and the other was white with a black mane and tail. Euphie sighed in relief, "Oh, thank God."

Rick patted her back and stared at the horses, getting an idea. "Maybe we don't need gas after all."

Euphie glanced at him, "You've got to be kidding me."

**Atlanta, Georgia...**

Rick rode the brown horse with Dahlia sitting in front of him. He had one duffel bag strapped to him and the other strapped to the saddle. Dahlia held the third duffel bag in front of her. Euphie rode the white horse with Grayson sitting in front of her. He held onto his backpack in front of him while Euphie had the last duffel strapped to herself. They rode into the city on the ride-hand side of the highway. The left-hand side was littered with abandoned cars. They rode silently, only the sound of the horses' hooves could be heard. After passing through a military blockade, they reached the city streets. Euphie noticed several Walkers resting inside a scorched bus and pointed it out to Rick. She whispered into her son's ears, "There's them Walkers. No making any sounds, alright?"

He nodded furiously and buried his face in his backpack. The horses whinnied in anxiety. Euphie tugged on the reins, "Steady, steady. Come on, girl."

The Walkers exited the bus, but the horses were already across the block. Rick glanced down the intersection, "Let's go this way."

Euphie signaled the horse to follow Rick around the corner. They kept going, passing by a tank and several cawing crows. Dahlia started to glance around, "Do you hear that?"

They stopped, hearing the soft swirls of a helicopter. Dahlia pointed, "There!"

They glanced up at the glass building, seeing the reflection of a helicopter. "Let's go! He-ya!"

He shook the rains and the horse broke into a run. Euphie did the same, keeping up with Rick's horse. They turned left and the horses' slid to a stop. The entire street was packed with over a hundred Walkers. They all turned towards them and began snarling. The horses neighed in fear and turned back the other way. The hoard of Walkers took off running after them. They reached the tank and found several dozen pouring in from each street. "Shit," Rick cursed.

"Rick, where do we go? Where do we go?" Euphie demanded.

The Walkers swarmed them. Rick and Dahlia went down, falling off the horse as the Walkers began tearing into the poor horse. Rick grabbed Dahlia's arm, dropping the duffel bags he was carrying and dragged her under the tank. A Walker sank it's teeth into Euphie's horse and it collapsed on top of the Walker. "Grayson, jump!"

She threw Grayson onto the tank and he latched onto it, climbing for dear life. Euphie lost hold of her duffel as she jumped after her son, the strap breaking. The Walkers started climbing after them and Euphie pulled out her pistol and began shooting their heads. But new Walkers began to replace the dead ones. "Fuck!"

"Mommy, over here!" Grayson cried, trying to lift the top hatch of the tank. Euphie shoved it open and dropped down. She quickly checked the inside, only seeing a dead soldier. "Come on, baby!"

Grayson fell into her arms. She set him down and quickly closed and locked the hatch. Grayson went to the corner as Euphie watched the soldier. She saw a hatch on the ground and quickly threw it open. She saw Dahlia and grabbed her arm, "Dahlia!"

Dahlia scrambled up, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Come on."

She shoved Dahlia into the corner with Grayson, and stuck her head through the hatch, seeing Rick firing at the Walkers. "Rick!"

He glanced back at her and crawled backwards towards her. She moved to let him climb through the hatch then slammed it closed, locking it was well. Rick scrambled back to the other side of the tank as Euphie panted, running her fingers through her undone bun. "Dahlia? Baby? You alright? You aren't bit, are you?"

They both shook their heads. Euphie glanced at Rick just as he took the dead soldier's gun. But the soldier stirred awake, making the inhuman growl. Rick gasped and aimed his gun. Euphie pulled out her knife, "No, Rick, wait!"

He fired. All of them covered their ears as the blast echoed off the walls. Finally, after several seconds, the ringing in their ears subsided. Grayson went to Euphie, burying his face in her stomach. Dahlia went to her sister as well. Rick checked the clip in the soldier's pistol. "Where's the duffels? With the weapons?"

"The strap on mine broke. It's in the street," Euphie gave him an apologetic look.

"I dropped mine, too."

Dahlia glanced up, "I dropped my duffel. I'm sorry."

"Its okay. Its okay. As long as you're alright," Euphie soothed her. Dahlia buried herself in her sister again. "Rick...we can't stay in here forever."

"I know," he buried his face in his hands.

Suddenly, the radio in the tank buzzed. Then a voice came, "Hey, you...hello? You four in the tank...cozy in there?"

Rick and Euphie exchanged looks. The voice came again, "Hello? You gonna ignore me?"

Rick quickly grabbed the radio talker and pressed the button, "Hello?"

* * *

**end of chapter 1 (i promise, i'll get more character depth and stuff in future chapters. love traingles galore! :D and drama, drama, drama!) **

**please review**


End file.
